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Marvin Stockwell finds a win serving Memphis

March 2nd, 2018

Talk to Marvin Stockwell for even a few minutes, and you cannot help but be struck by his enthusiasm for Memphis and his commitment to being involved. “If you look at my civic participation and boards I’ve been on, the common thread is things that add to making Memphis better, more vibrant, more fun,” he says. That participation includes not only the GiVE 365 A-Team, but Friends of the Fairgrounds and the Coliseum Coalition, Leadership Memphis, and as a nearly 30-year member of the iconic Memphis punk band Pezz.

By day, Marvin serves as Media Relations Director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – a recent move in a longtime communications career, and one that puts him up close and personal with the hospital’s mission to cure pediatric cancer and other life-threatening diseases. “In order for me to be happy, I have to put my skills as a communicator in service to something that is making the world a better place,” he says.

He juggles a rewarding professional life with grassroots activism focused around creating a more vibrant, equitable Memphis. “I’m just drawn to civic work that is about bringing Memphis together. I’m also a family man. Sarah and I have been married for 22 years and we have three kids. So that’s a full life,” Marvin says. “That’s certainly a key to understanding me. I love being a dad, love being married to Sarah, and I love my city.”

Marvin believes in the term “Memphis renaissance” and is impressed by the way our city continues to accelerate. One aspect of our livability and vibrancy that has grown exponentially in the past decade is our access to green spaces and bike lanes. Marvin became enamored with the idea that he could bike to work, and is a consistent bike commuter. He often walks into a meeting with bike helmet in hand, and says, with his recent move to St. Jude, “it’s a doable ride, 40 minutes.”

Even for someone constantly on the go, GiVE 365 is a terrific outlet that represents so many of Marvin's values: it is collaborative, it is family-friendly, it is impactful. “What I love about GiVE 365 is the fact that not only is it funding these things, but I’m made aware of the broader context of good works in our city – which fleshes out my understanding of the need in our city,” he says. “I can do all of that, collectively, with friends, in a way that grows a network of collaborators who are as fired up about Memphis as I am. That’s a win-win-win-win-win. It’s fun. It exposes me to the need and the opportunity.”